Day 18

I love playing games! Cards, board games, interactive, you name it! I just love spending time with family, all playing with the same goal. When playing games however, there are a few things that need to be established before you can begin, right? What are the rules? Are there teams? Who will go first? Once these simple items are arranged, then the game can proceed.

The life of Jesus was no game, but this illustration helps us to understand God's order. Before the Word could play out as it was written, there were certain things that had to be established. In John 1 we read the account of Jesus from the Apostle's perspective. You will see that John was sent first so that Jesus could come after him. In other words, John got the first turn, to allow Jesus to have a clear path to victory.

Verse 6-8 says, "God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the Light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the Light; he was simply a witness to tell about the Light." If you have a candle in your home, you know that it can be lit to create light. But you would never think of taking responsibility for the light it produces. That is exactly what John was doing. He was making a way for the Light to be seen, but was secure in knowing he was not the Light himself.

I love that John makes a point in verse 15 and again in verse 30, that Jesus was living before him. However, if you think back to when we studied the story of Elizabeth and Mary, John was born six months prior to Jesus. So what does he mean when he makes this statement...twice?

John the Baptist recognized that Jesus was living long before He ever came to walk among us. John establishes that the living Word of God, had become flesh on the Earth, through the birth and life of Jesus in his humanity.

So, what does that tell us? That there was a Savior all along! Jesus was not plan B or an afterthought. In fact, I will go as far as to say, that everyday leading up to the life of Jesus, was preparation for his ministry here on Earth. And if that is true, than the same thought can be applied to your life as well. That everything in God's word, in the lineage of your family, the history of your environment, everything, was also preparation for your ministry. God in his sovereignty knew exactly what you needed to hear, read, feel, etc, to equip and inspire you for the work He designed you for.

Today, I think it's fitting to light a candle in your home and play a game with your family! How fun! Consider the light that illuminates from the candle, then establish who will go first to set the game in motion.